It has been recently recognized that the leukotrienes C
4, D
4 (LTC
4, D
4) synthesized from arachidonic acid by 5-lipoxygenase have a potential action on vascular tone and permeability. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the role of 5-lipoxygenase products in experimental cerebral vasospasm.
Sixty cats were subjected in this study. Three days after the injection of 3 ml of autologous blood into the cisterna magna, the basilar artery was exposed by the transclival approach.
Topical application of TxA
2 analogue (STA
2) 1 ×10
-8M 1 ×10
-6, LTC
4 1 × 10
-6M 1 ×10
-4M, and LTD
41 × 10
-6M 1 ×10
-4M to the basilar arteries, produced a dose related constriction of the arteries.
Experimental cerebral vasospasm was produced by the continuous irrigation of the basilar artery exposed transclivally, with the mixture of blood and CSF incubated for 3 days at 37°C. The continuous irrigation was maintained for 2 hrs at the rate of 0.5 ml/hr. The caliber of basilar artery and rCBF of pontine tegmental region were measured simultaneously by microphotography and heat and hydrogen clearance methods. Platelet aggregation studies were also performed.
Cats were divided into 3 groups : non-treated cats, and cats treated with 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors : AA-861 (500 μg/kg/min), NDGA (300 μg/kg/min), Phenoxazine (5 μg/kg/min), ONO-5349 (100 μg/kg/min), and LTC
4, D
4 antagonist : FPL-55712 (200 μg/kg/min). In treated cats, intravenous infusion of the agents was begun 30 min prior to the production of cerebral vasospasm and maintained through the experiment.
In non-treated cats, the caliber of basilar artery decreased 29.2 ± 4.4 (mean ± SE) % of its original diameter 10 minutes after the irrigation of blood-CSF mixture and remained unchanged as long as it was irrigated. Ten minutes after the irrigation, rCBF of pontine tegmentum was 24.4 ± 1.5 ml/100 g/min and gradually decreased further to the level of 18.6 ± 1.4 ml/100 g/min.
In treated cats, basilar artery became spastic as well. The degree of vasospasm was almost same as compared with non-treated cats. However, the gradual reduction in rCBF was prevented. rCBF of the pontine tegmentum rather increased even in animals with severe cerebral vasospasm. There was no difference in pharmacological effects among 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors and LTC
4, D
4 antagonist. Both 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors and LTC
4, D
4 antagonist did not inhibit platelet aggregation.
These results suggest that 5-lipoxygenase products may not have an important role in the development of cerebral vasospasm in the major vessels, but may constrict the small arteries resulting in the decrease of a cerebral blood flow.
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